Study Reveals U.S. Drivers Aren't Facing the Realities of Their Own Behavior Behind the Wheel - and It's Deadly

CHICAGO, April 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- American drivers overrate their skills behind the wheel, according to the second annual distracted driving study being released by Arity in April for National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Arity, a mobility and data analytics leader focused on making transportation smarter, safer and more useful, released the study to inform all players in the transportation industry of the importance of using data to solve one of society's most pressing and dangerous problems – distracted driving.

The study found that while 89 percent of drivers said they rarely consider using their phones while driving, nearly all drivers (98 percent) admit to doing it. As drivers rely on mobile devices more than ever, vehicle deaths on the road are at a three-year high. Arity believes the first step to addressing distracted driving is in the power of telematics, which includes using data to gain insights, identify the root cause and take action to improve dangerous driving behavior.

While individuals are concerned about their driving behaviors and the consequences, their actions to reduce distracted driving have decreased nearly 10 percent from 2018 to 2019. In fact, the behaviors drivers deem unacceptable from other drivers—like texting— 44 percent admit to doing themselves. Arity is calling this growing group Distracted Deniers.

The immersion of this group is supported by 71 percent of survey respondents believing distracted driving laws have a positive impact on road safety. However, nearly all of the drivers surveyed admit to using their mobile device while driving, reinforcing the tragic stat that one in four car crashes involve mobile device use (NHTSA, 2016).

"Despite laws designed to protect us by making distracted driving illegal, people are increasingly addicted to their devices and aren't putting their phones down when they drive," said Gary Hallgren, President of Arity. "Arity's unique ability to identify and calculate the true cost of distracted driving allows businesses across the transportation ecyosytem to personalize the problem and more effectively coach and motivate drivers to make better choices behind the wheel."

Find the full 2019 Arity Distracted Driving study here.

Methodology
Arity's 2019 Distracted Driving study is based on an Arity-commissioned online survey conducted by Murphy Research that polled more than 1,200 drivers between January and February 2019. The questionnaire asked candidates how far and how often they drove and whether they owned a mobile phone.

About Arity
Arity is a mobility data and analytics company that provides data-driven solutions to companies invested in transportation to enable them to make mobility services smarter, safer and more economical. Insurance companies, automobile manufactures and shared mobility companies turn to Arity to better understand driving behavior, manage risk, operate more safely and ultimately increase their bottom line. The Arity platform is built on more than 105 billion miles of historical driving data, with nearly 15 million active telematics connections and over eight years of data directly from cars. With global offices and a Chicago headquarters, Arity was founded by The Allstate Corporation and launched in 2016.

Contact Information
Stacy Silver, Corporate Communications
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 847-530-4224

SOURCE Arity

Related Links

https://www.arity.com